


Cassius

by R3d3mptr1c3m



Series: Dare We Hope [1]
Category: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Movies), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Movies), War of the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Genre: AU from the end of Dawn, Adventure, Caesar should be nominated for Most Reasonable Person, Drama, Ellie deserves Nice Things, Everything else that goes with the Planet of the Apes world, Exploring Relationships, F/M, Horror, Malcom tries SO HARD, Realistic treatment of plot and characters, Rich Culture, Yeesssss that means romance too peeps, incorporating parts of War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-09 00:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13469517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R3d3mptr1c3m/pseuds/R3d3mptr1c3m
Summary: “We have to, Ellie. He needs us.” His smile had gone taught. There were tears in his eyes, and he couldn’t stop them. He clutched tighter at her – pressed closer, lips speaking against hers, hot tears slicking their skin."Stop trying to save me, and please just help me.”--The War came sooner than any of them expected. Malcom can only pray there's time enough left to prepare.





	Cassius

The rain fell in heavy torrents, drenching the earth and running in streams down the mountain path. It chattered against the leaves of the trees overhead, pattering and splashing in a haze of droplets amid the unrelenting downpour. The light was dim and faded, stained a mournful, eerie green by the forest around.

There were no scurrying animals or frantically chirping crickets – only the steady rage of the storm.

Thunder rolled overhead, soft and defused. All around was the sound of water rushing, slipping between stones and branches in burbling rivulets, splattering against the forest’s greenery and the slick, muddy ground below.

Then, faint and distant, there was another sound: an animal cry, desperate and distorted in the deluge.

Far nearer on the path, something shifted into view. It was a man, head bowed and hands scrabbling for purchase as he stumbled through the mud. Rain slicked the plastic poncho he wore, and the wet muck of the forest floor clung to his limbs in bits of brambles and wet earth.

The animal cry came again, distant still but closer – a shriek pursuing him. “Malcom!”

A second figure slipped and rolled onto the path, far behind the man. It was a blurred shape in the rain, movements sharp and uncoordinated. Its hands slipped in the muck and it fell again, pressing against the ground in order not to slide down the path any further.

Its head rose – eyes glinted, wide and frantic in a thin white face. Its teeth bared, pale features distorting in another scream.

This time the cry was clear: not an animal’s, but a woman’s, panicked and raw. “Malcom – _Malcom stop_!”

He didn’t. He couldn’t.

Lightning flashed; a thunderclap drowned out Ellie’s screams behind him. His own cry tore his throat raw; a roar he himself couldn’t hear, swallowed by the storm.

A stone caught his boot. He hit the ground hard, his already bruised hands slamming into the half-inch or so of dancing water and mud that layered the earth, knees splashing painfully into the rough terrain beneath.

There was a splash of footsteps behind him.

Ellie was rasping his name, her voice hoarse and breathless.

Malcom ignored her, craning his head upward, searching the trees above; but the lightning flash had faded, and the sun was setting beyond the storm. The canopy overhead was dark and empty. The path ahead was the same as the road behind; streaming mud, glistening foliage, not a single person in sight. Not a single ape.

Ellie’s hands clutched his poncho, her fingers shaking as they strove to unbutton it from where it pinched against his neck. She repeated his name in sharp, pained breaths. He could hear the tears she refused to shed, in her voice.

“Ellie.” He rasped, choking. “Ellie, I have to go find him.”

“No, no you don’t – you have to stay and let me-”

He caught her hands, pulling them aside and bracing himself to stand. “Help me up.”

“Malcom, if you don’t let me see-”

“It’s not important – we don’t have time!” He hated yelling at her – it stabbed like a knife into his heart. But he had to make her see. “Ellie, if we don’t find him-”

“You could die!” She shrieked suddenly, jerking herself free. “You could _die,_ Malcom-!”

His side ached damningly. Red was trickling down his leg to mix with the muck around his knees. He couldn’t feel the bullet anymore, but he knew it was still there.

Ellie’s eyes met his own, wide and scared. She was kneeling too, braced in front of him, desperate and itching to tear his clothes away. She had wanted to do that before, sometimes – but never like this. Never with that icy fear in her eyes and trembling hands, mentally screaming for all the tools she didn’t have.

Gently, he brought his hands to her face – felt the strength of her jaw and the familiar shape of her neck, warm beneath his fingers. He pulled her close, foreheads touching, and forced a smile, praying it didn’t falter.

The air warmed between them as they shared breaths, hers short and stuttering, his labored and rasping.

The words came quiet and calm, heavy in his mouth. “If we don’t find him, then a good man and his family will die.” She stiffened, and her breath caught. He pressed closer, a desperation aching to life in his chest. His words came quicker, softer, whispered against her lips. “A _good man,_ Ellie… A better man than any man I’ve ever known-”

“He’s an _ape_ , Malcom-”

“And _still_ a better man than I will ever be. You know he’s a person – you saw it. They’re all people. His wife, his sons…all of them.”

She was quiet. Her breaths had turned to sobs.

“We have to, Ellie. He needs us.” His smile had gone taught. There were tears in his eyes, and he couldn’t stop them. He clutched tighter at her – pressed closer, lips speaking against hers, hot tears slicking their skin.

“You need to stop trying to save me, Ellie. Stop trying to save me... and please just _help me_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, I got the writing bug. Comment if you want to let me know what you think, or have questions or suggestions!  
> For future reference, more warning tags will be added if and when they are necessary.  
> ~Redemptricem


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